Australian Ambassador: ‘Supporting the Mekong Delta’s transition to a low-emission economy’
Ms. Robyn Mudie, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, said that since 2000, Australia has provided financial and technical support and trained human resources for the Mekong Delta to respond to climate change.
Information shared by Mrs. Robyn Mudie with reporters VnExpress during a recent business trip to the Mekong Delta (Mekong Delta).
Ms. Robyn Mudie – Australian Ambassador to Vietnam. Image: Kowloon
– Ambassador, can you tell us how Australia has supported the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta in the past time?
– Since 2000, Australia has contributed more than AUD 650 million to support the infrastructure development of the Mekong Delta region, improve productivity and competitiveness, enhance public services, build human resources and promote human capital. promote innovation.
These supports include the construction of the My Thuan and Cao Lanh bridges, Australia’s largest-ever aid investment in mainland Southeast Asia. As part of the Partnership between Australia and the World Bank, we assist in carrying out technical analysis of the issues facing the Mekong Delta. This program also contributed to the preparation of the Master Plan for the region, to be announced by the Government of Vietnam. In addition, many Mekong Delta scholars have been trained and studied through cooperation programs.
We support the Mekong Delta as a whole, involving many fields. Last year, we launched the Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Cooperation Strategy (EEES) which includes the goal of doubling our two-way investment and becoming one of the top 10 trading partners. This strategic implementation plan outlines eight key areas where we believe there is room for further development of the trade and investment relationship between the two countries.
We also expect that in the near future when the Master Plan for Sustainable Development in the Mekong Delta is published, new opportunities will be discovered within the framework of the EEES cooperation strategy.
Cao Lanh Bridge across the Tien River has an investment capital of over VND 3,000 billion from the Australian Government’s non-refundable aid, the Asian Development Bank’s loan and the Vietnamese Government’s reciprocal capital.
Photo: Kowloon
– In your opinion, what are the nearest risks that people in the Mekong Delta will face due to climate change?
– During this visit, I had the opportunity to discuss the impacts of climate change in the Mekong Delta with a number of stakeholders including rising temperatures, changes in rainfall intensity, reduced river flows, and more. low, saline intrusion, floods and droughts. All of these have serious impacts on homes, infrastructure, crops and fisheries. As a result, vulnerable communities face food insecurity and reduced livelihoods.
For long-term success, how the Mekong Delta and other countries in the Mekong River Basin respond to climate change is very important. It is important that the private sector, government, and communities work together to find strategies to reduce the impacts of climate change and improve the resilience and sustainability of production.
It is necessary to offset the damage caused by the impacts of climate change through changes in production methods as well as farming methods. These are the things we are discussing with various partners in this region. To do this, there needs to be coordination between the government and stakeholders as well as businesses to adjust livelihoods and production methods. There will be more opportunities for us to work together more strongly to offset the impacts of climate change in the Mekong Delta, which is extremely important to Vietnam.
Tram Chim National Park is supported by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) with advanced technology to conserve biodiversity. Image: Kowloon
– How does Australia support Vietnam to mitigate the effects of climate change in the coming time, madam?
– Australia and Vietnam have committed to take actions to respond to climate change in accordance with the special circumstances of each country. In November last year, the Prime Ministers of the two countries issued a joint statement on strengthening cooperation on climate change. Australia has pledged to double its financial support to developing countries in the Indo-Pacific region to AUD 2 billion between 2020 and 2025.
Our commitment to increasing climate change-related funding is part of our long-term commitment to help our neighbors increase climate change adaptation and resilience. These supports also help developing countries transition to renewable energy economies in the future.
Australia’s climate finance will also spur the private sector to invest more in solutions to promote clean technology, as the private sector plays a key role in the long-term solution to climate change. climate change. We need to work together – the private sector, government and the community – to come up with solutions to offset the damage caused by the impacts of climate change. Australia has provided financial support of AUD 140 million to invest in the private sector to find solutions related to climate change.
In particular, we are looking at adaptability and resilience as well as the importance of natural solutions in addressing problems related to climate change. We need to explore opportunities for deeper cooperation in the future transition to a low-emission economy.
We are also designing new projects under the A$232 million Mekong-Australia Partnership to be implemented in all five Mekong countries. We support activities such as empowering human capital, water, energy, climate and resilience of the economy, cyber technology and other issues, including initiatives that benefit for Vietnam.
There are many initiatives on the horizon, including a program to reduce emissions and improve rice production as well as nature-based solutions such as the project on rice, shrimp and fish farming in the wetland reserve. Lang Sen country (Long An).
– How do you evaluate the effectiveness of support programs that have been implemented in the Mekong Delta?
– I am proud of all the projects that have been carried out in this area over the years. I also mentioned that Australia has always shown its commitment to support Vietnam in developing the Mekong Delta region.
During this trip, I had the opportunity to visit several projects, including a cooperation project with the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). This project is expected to increase the productivity of farmers who are affected by salinity by diversifying plant varieties and selecting varieties suitable to the climatic conditions of the area. This is a really impressive project and I hope it will be adopted by many people.
I also attended the opening ceremony of a water kiosk installed to provide fresh water daily for about 800 students and staff of Tan Hue Primary School in Thanh Binh District, Dong Thap Province. This project is just one part of our extensive collaboration in helping Vietnam tackle water management in the Mekong Delta.
And finally, I visited Tram Chim National Park where the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) supports cutting-edge technology to help preserve the Mekong Delta’s rich biodiversity.
Once again I would like to affirm Australia’s extensive support for the Western region through many projects over the decades. All are very impressive and we are proud of the support.
Kowloon
The Mekong Delta is located at the end of the Mekong Delta, including 13 provinces/cities namely Long An, Tien Giang, Dong Thap, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Hau Giang, Soc Trang, Ben Tre, An Giang, Kien Giang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau and Can Tho City; with a natural area of about 3.96 million hectares, accounting for about 12% of the country’s area. The whole region has about 17.5 million people, accounting for 18% of the country’s population.
With over 2.4 million hectares of agricultural land and about 700,000 hectares of water surface for aquaculture, the whole region has contributed 54% of rice production, providing 90% of exported rice; 70% of aquatic products and 60% of fruit production of the country.
The West has the advantage of being favored by nature (topography, soil, mild climate) and abundant labor resources. However, this land is facing many difficulties and challenges such as: climate change, decline in the quality of natural resources, limited quality of labor…
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vnexpress.net – Read the original article here
